Family-based Frailty Self Management Model and the Effects of the FRAIL-SM Program Among Patients With Heart Failure

This study aims to develop a frailty self-management model for heart failure patients, and to examine the effect of family-based frailty self-management program (FRAIL-SM) including Family involvement, self-Regulation, Autonomy support, Information sharing and Linkage on frailty, self-care ability and quality of life in patients with heart failure and their family's strain and quality of life. Patients are recruited with a convenience sampling from two medical centers in Taiwan. A cross-sectional study is adopted to examine the associated factors of frailty and self-management in patients with heart failure. Besides, a qualitative research with face-to-face individual interview is conducted to understand the experience of frailty and self-management in patients with heart failure and their families. Then, a randomized controlled trial is conducted. Subjects are selected using a convenience sampling and are randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Patients in the intervention group will receive an 8-week family-based frailty self-management program. Data is collected by a structural questionnaire including frailty, heart failure knowledge, self-care of heart failure, anxiety and depression, social support, and quality of life and physical indicators such as levels of B-type natriuretic peptide, hemoglobin, hematocrit, albumin at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks after enrollment. Data analysis includes descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, chi-square, one-way ANOVA, multiple regression, structural equation modeling, and generalized estimating equation.